Virat Kohli would be in focus as the Royal Challengers Bengaluru take on the Gujarat Titans in the final of the Indian Premier League 2026 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday, May 31. Kohli has been part of IPL finals four times now and saw his ever-so-long wait for the title end in 2025 when his team beat Punjab Kings in the showpiece.ย
Kohli has led RCB to the 2016 final, when his team agonisingly fell short to the Sunrisers Hyderabad. He was part of the teams that played the 2009 final against the Deccan Chargers and the 2011 showdown against the Chennai Super Kings and saw his team lose. However, the fortunes seem to have turned as RCB are no longer the chasers – they are the ones being chased.ย
Will Kohli need to turn his performances around?
Kohli will hope to turn around his performances in the IPL finals as he holds the key to his team’s fortunes with the bat upfront. In the four IPL finals, Kohli has hit 139 runs at an average of 34.75 and a strike rate of 126.36. Both below his career average of 42.21 and a career strike rate of 135.71. He held one end up in the IPL 2025 final when they lost a couple of early wickets as he made 43 from 35 balls.ย
While there could be a school of thought that Kohli plays at a better strike rate, if not average, but RCB need a gun player like him to hold one end up and assure they don’t slip up if they lose a few wickets.ย
Kohli’s record in IPL finals:
Matches Played: 4
Runs scored: 139
Average: 34.75
SR: 126.36
Fifty: 1 (HS 54 vs SRH in 2016)
Sixes: 3
Fours: 10
RCB look to carve legacy, GT aim to stamp their’s
RCB are looking to carve a legacy out by winning back-to-back IPL titles. They were once mocked for battling it to reach the playoffs, but have now emerged as a team to beat in the last two years. Another title will carve a legacy of a team which looks complete from all angles. GT are in the hunt for their second title too, having won the first one in 2022.ย
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